Eastern Canal Trolley Bridge

Lowell is patterned and powered by the canal system that traverses a diverse historic industrial landscape. Its infrastructure survives in the presence of masonry mill complexes and artifacts of 19th century technology including the canal’s bridges, locks, gates, and mechanisms. The new trolley bridge is particular to its setting on the canal, and seeks to become part of the larger urban order, a new element in the pattern.

Abstracting the qualities of architectural and engineering elements associated with industrial canal and river systems, the bridge is a celebration of assembly, componentization and integration of parts using readily available standard steel and wood components.

The design investigates several layers of contrast: support / supported, bridge / abutments, walkway / trolleyway, and structure / railing. The abutments of poured concrete support a skeleton-like frame of spanning steel, the tracks and catenary form a sinuous curve (necessary to negotiate the turn) in distinction to the linear wooden plank pedestrian walk (recalling the floors of mill buildings); the deep welded-plate beams supporting the bridge are in counterpoint to the taut steel railings and diagonal struts; the vertical light fixtures atop the abutments mark the terminal points of the horizontal span. Together these elements define a unique spatial experience – a memorable link in a network of canalway events.

Program
A new trolley and pedestrian bridge to span the Eastern Canal providing the extension of tracks and canal walkway from Eastern Canal Park (Jack Kerouac Commemorative) to the Lower Locks.

* Deborah Fennick, Principal Architect while with TAMS Architecture